Container closure



Dec. 24, 1968 H. cs. LIEBERMAN CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed I May 23, 1967 INVENTOR HEIMAN G. LIEBERMAN BY Q 91 d ATTOR N EY United States Patent 0 3,417,893 CONTAINER CLOSURE Heiman G. Lieberman, 3809 E. Mulberry, Evansville, Ind. 47715 Filed May 23, 1967, Ser. No. 640,706 12 Claims. (Cl. 215-9) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE engageable when in outwardly presented position or outof-surface conformity with the cap.

Background 0 the invention The problem of providing caps for bottles, especially for medicine, which are tamperproof has been one of wide and general concern for many years. The unauthorized access to the contents of such bottles by children has been a seemingly ever-increasing occurrence with expected injurious results and not without an untoward number of fatalities. Attempts have been made heretofore to develop closure structures for such bottles which are designed for locking thereon so as to frustrate the efforts of children who try to remove the cap either through curiosity or through a desire to gain the bottle contents which may seemingly resemble candy or a soft drink. However, most of the eiforts heretofore made have produced relatively complex structures, requiring a multiplicity of parts, such as, for instance, sleeves adapted for reception between the bottle neck and the closure; locking rings; outer and inner cap elements, and the like. Others have attempted to incorporate various indexing means utilizing a numerical or alphabetical code for appropriate registration and thus requiring a reading knowledge on the part of the user. It will be noted that such prior art structures have been relatively expensive in production in view of the requirement of an extrinsic component and for the most part have necessitated substantial redesigning of the customary bottle neck. By the present invention, it is intended to overcome these inadequacies of currently known structures by utilizing a single integrated cap structure designed for unique engagement with the bottle neck so as to present positive locking means for reliably inhibiting accidental or unauthorized cap removal.

Summary of the invention It is an object of the present invention to provide a closure for bottles and the like, designed primarily for containing medicine, which comprises a cap receivable upon the bottle neck and having locking elements adapted for reception within recesses provided upon the bottle neck so as to inhibit the normal cap twisting motion for conventional unscrewing action.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a closure of the type stated which incorporates a plurality of locking elements which when in engaged relation are not detectable from the exterior of the container as the same are in surface conformity therewith.

It is a still further object of the present invention to Patented Dec. 24, 1968 "ice provide a closure of the type stated which incorporates a second set of lockable elements which are designed for engagement with cooperating elements on the bottle neck when the same are moved into a position coincident with the unlocking movement of the first set of lockable elements.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a closure of the type stated which does not necessitate the utilization of an extrinsic element and thus integrally embodies the normal screw threads as well as locking components so that the same is engageable directly upon a bottle neck without the intervention of a third element.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a closure of the type stated which is amenable to high volume production; which does not necessitate extensive or costly redesigning of bottle necks for cooperation therewith; and which is reliable in usage for effectively frustrating the efforts of a child in successfully removing the cap to gain the bottle contents.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a container closure constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention, illustrating the same in normal engaged relationship upon a container neck.

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical transverse view taken substantially on the line 33 of FIGURE 1 but showing the locking tab in open or unlatched condition.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of FIG- URE 1 but showing the safety tab in engaged condition.

FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of another form of container closure constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention, illustrating the same in normal engaged relationship upon a container neck.

FIGURE 8 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken on the line 88 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 88 of FIGURE 7 but showing the closure rotated through an angle of ninety degrees from the position shown in FIGURE 8.

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary vertical transverse sectional view illustrating a locking tab of the closure shown in FIGURE 7 in open or unlatched condition.

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section illustrating a safety tab of the closure shown in FIGURE 7 in engaged condition.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring now by reference characters to the drawing which illustrates practical embodiments of the present invention, A generally designates the neck or upper portion of a conventional medicine bottle, vial, or the like, as fabricated through molding or blowing from suitable material, such as glass and plastic; having formed in its upper portion a series of external or male screw threads 1 for cooperation with the internal or female threads 2 provided on the inner face of the cylindrical side wall or skirt 3 of a closure or cap C. Said closure C is formed preferably of plastic for high volume, low-cost production, and comprises a top flat wall 4 integral with side wall 3, for disposition across the mouth in of bottle neck as to present their related fingers .16 at successive elevations from the lower edges thereof, all for reasons to be described hereinbelow. Closure C is adapted for use in conjunction with a bottle or container neck A having a mouth m and an upper group of external or male screw threads, indicated at 20, provided on its outer surface for interengaging cooperation with the internal threads 2' of closure C in order to effect closing of the latter. The lowermost thread of thread group 20 terminates at the upper end of a substantially vertically presented ridge 21 having throughout its extent an abutment surface 22 axially parallel to neck A and presented to intersect the helix generated by the threads of neck A.

Ridge 21 continues downwardly below thread 20 for a distance in the order of at least that required to accommodate a single thread for generating a helically extending spacing designated s. The lower end portion of ridge 21 remote from abutment surface 22 is integral with the lower terminus of a male screw thread 23 formed on the same helix as threads 20 and defining the lower limit of spacing 5; said thread 23 continuing spirally about neck A toward abutment surface 22 for terminating at its upper end at an interruption 24 spaced from said surface 22 for defining therebetween a notch-like recess having a transverse extent for receiving therein projections 11 and fingers 16 of tabs 7 and 12', respectively, for purposes discussed below.

In usage, it will be seen that closure C may be readily screw-threaded onto neck A, with the projections 11 on locking tab 7 being removed from impeding contact with the threads in the manner above described in conjunction with closure C. When closure C has reached fully screwed-down condition it will be seen that the projections 11 on locking tabs 7' will be received on their under surfaces upon the upper surface of thread 23 at circumferentially spaced points thereon.

Since upward swinging of locking tab 7 is requisite for effecting unlocking action, such action cannot be brought about while projections 11 are disposed upon thread 23, which latter serves as a detent. By turning closure C in an unthreading direction, as it were, the projection 11 on the locking tab 7 nearest abutment surface 22 will be brought into engagement therewith by such turning (see FIGURE 9). It will be noted that with such engagement the said projection 11' will overlie recess 25 which provides adequate clearance .50 that upward swinging of the particular locking tab 7 will remove the related projection 11 (see FIGURE 10). Thus, by continued turning of closure C in such opening direction, projections 11 on the remaining locking tab 7' will be brought into engagement with surface 22 and then swung into unlocked position. Upon completion of outward swing of locking tab 7, closure C may then be fully removed by the continuance of appropriate rotative movement. However, upward swinging of safety tabs 12 will dispose the related finger 16 upon thread 23' which fingers 16' will similarly be brought into detaining engagement against vertical surface 22 and thus prevent further closure removal.

Just as with closure C above described, it is manifest that should a child accidentally discover that upward lifting of one tab will bring about unlocked condition, it will surely apply the same action to the other type of tabs and thus create the very condition he or she had sought to avoid.

It is apparent that closures or caps C and C may be formed of any suitable material, although it has been found desirable that such be relatively non-rigid or generally flexible so as to conduce the appropriate hinge action without resort to extrinsic or applied expedients.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the formation, construction, and arrangement and combination of the several parts of the container closure may be made and substituted for these herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent is:

1. A receptacle comprising the combination of a container having a neck portion, there being an open mouth at the upper end of said neck portion, a closure for said container having a top wall for disposition over the container mouth and a skirt depending from said top wall for disposition about the container neck portion, cooperative locking means for preventing unauthorized removal of said closure from said container, said locking means comprising said neck portion having at least one recess provided downwardly of the said mouth, a tab provided on said skirt, means for mounting said tab upon said skirt for swingable movement about an axis transversely of said tab between downward or skirt-conforming position and upward and outward position, said tab having a projection on its upper end portion so that when the same is in upward and outward swung position said projection will be received within said recess.

2. A receptacle as defmed in claim 1 and further characterized by said tab mounting means being located in the upper portion of said tab.

3. A receptacle as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by means for maintaining said tab in upwardly swung position.

4. A receptacle as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by there being a plurality of recesses located spacedly about said container neck portion and a plurality of tabs presented in spaced perimetrical relationship about said skirt portion for reception within the aligned recess on said container neck portion.

5. A receptacle as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by there being a plurality of recesses located spacedly about said container neck portion and a plurality of tabs provided in spaced perimetrical relation about said skirt portion for reception within the aligned recess on said container neck portion.

6. A receptacle as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said tab mounting means comprising transversely aligned pivot-forming agents connected on opposite margins of the upper portion of said tab for engagement to confronting portions of the side faces of said recess for establishing a swing axis therethrough, said projection having a width less than the maximum transverse extent of said recess.

7. A receptacle as defined in claim 6 and further characterized by said tab having a transverse rib projecting outwardly from its upper portion, said rib having a thickness slightly greater than the portion of the recess above the upper margin of said tab so that upon swinging of said tab the said rib will be tightly received in such recess portion for stabilizing the tab in such swung position.

8. A receptacle as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said projection being disposed within the plane of the tab.

9. A receptacle comprising the combination of a container having a neck portion, male screw threads provided on said neck portion, there being an open mouth at the upper end of said neck portion, a closure for said container having a top Wall for disposition over the container mouth and a cylindrical skirt, there being female screw threads provided on said skirt for engagement with the male threads of said container neck portion, cooperating locking means for preventing unauthorized unthreading of said closure comprising said neck portion having a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses located downwardly of the lowermost male thread thereon, having a plurality of locking tabs swingably provided on said skirt for swingable movement between downward or skirt-conforming position and upward and outwardly swung position, each of said locking tabs having on its inner face a projection for reception within an aligned recess on said neck portion, and a plurality of safety tabs swingably provided on said skirt for movement between downward or skirt-conforming position and upwardly and outwardly swung position, each of said safety tabs having a projection on its upper edge for reception within an aligned recess on said neck when said safety tab is in upwardly swung position.

10. A receptacle comprising the combination of a container having a neck portion, male screw threads provided on said neck portion, there being an open mouth at the upper end of said neck portion, a closure for said container having a top wall for disposition over the container mouth and a cylindrical skirt, there being female screw threads provided on said skirt for engagement with the male threads of said container neck portion, cooperating locking means for preventing unauthorized unthreading of said closure comprising said container neck portion having a vertically presented abutment surface located downwardly of said male threads, and a spiral surface extending about said neck below said male threads there being a spacing between one end of said spiral surface and said abutment surface, and a plurality of locking tabs swingably provided on the lower end of said skirt for swingable movement between downwardly swung or skirt-conforming position and upwardly and outwardly swung position, each of said locking tabs having a projection on its inner face and being disposed for reception upon said spiral surface when each of said locking tabs is in downwardly swung position, said spacing being dimensioned for reception of said projections for permitting upward swinging of said related locking tabs upon engagement with the respective projection against the abutment surface.

11. A receptacle as defined in claim 10 and further characterized by the projections upon the locking tabs being presented at different distances from the lower edge of said closure skirt for accommodating the angle of said spiral surface.

12. A receptacle as defined in claim 10 and further characterized by there being a plurality of safety tabs provided on said skirt for swingable movement between downwardly swung, skirt-conforming position and upwardly and outwardly swung position, there being a projection on the upper end of each safety tab so that when said tabs are upwardly and outwardly swung said projections will be received upon said spiral surface for movement therealong upon unthreading of said closure until contacting said abutment surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 973,397 10/1910 Wilzin.

FOREIGN PATENTS 44,029 7/ 1914 Sweden.

WILLIAM T. DIXSON, JR., Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 215-98 

